Left-Handed Girl

For an indie project, entirely shot on iPhones, it surprisingly tackles a myriad of socially relevant topics, from age-old superstitions to entrenched patriarchal practices.

What I particularly like is how it gives each of the main characters their moments to shine, highlighting their individual struggles without prioritizing one over the others.

It beautifully illustrates that everyone has their own challenges, and we all cope in different ways; some could handle things quietly, while others need to let it all out.

It's not overly heavy on the emotions, but the makers' intentions come across clearly. Plus, the "iPhone" footage adds a unique touch of realism to the whole storytelling experience.

Oh, and watch out for the twist at the end; I was flabbergasted.

This film did it all for me. The acting was amazing. The cinematography was beautiful. Editing was seamless. It was well written and humorous, but also super emotional. It was wonderful in every way. I'm glad I saw this in the theater and I highly recommend it to get the full effect. I was lucky enough to be able to see it for the Film Independent screening at AMC The Grove, and there was a panel afterward with the director, actors and Sean Baker, the editor. The ending was not anything I saw coming. This movie is the reason why I love movies.

Left Handed Girl (2025) is a pleasant film with a gentle emotional tone and a visually appealing style. It delivers a soft, engaging atmosphere that makes it enjoyable to watch, and it has moments of genuine beauty both in its characters and its cinematography. However, despite its charm, the movie ultimately settles into very standard drama territory.

The story feels too familiar and doesn't take advantage of the themes it introduces. There are several places where the narrative could have gone deeper-whether in exploring the character's internal struggle, the relationships around her, or the broader message the film hints at. Because of this lack of development, many scenes feel lighter than they should, and the emotional impact remains limited.

Overall, Left Handed Girl is a nice, watchable film, but it clearly had the potential to be much stronger with a richer and more ambitious story.

Left-Handed Girl was so visually comforting for me. I love the colours, the little pockets of China it showed, and having a kid as the POV just hits different. Some scenes had that indie-film vibe, but there were moments where the framing felt more like it was shot on a phone than an actual film. Still, the scenes - especially the kid's - were so good. The girl absolutely carried; she was the best part of the whole movie.

The film was nice overall. I liked how it tried to subtly tackle family-planning issues, Chinese family dynamics, poverty, teenage pregnancy, and that whole innocence arc - like when the kid tried to steal and you could see the innocence hit her with poverty and problems around her

what I loved most was the sudden cuts and the smooth sound transitions - the background/ambient sounds were so good.

I just wish it wasn't too laidback. Like, give me a bit more substance in the story or the dialogue. I get that it's aiming for an indie vibe, but it felt a little imbalanced considering how good the visuals were.

Shot entirely with an iPhone, 'Left-Handed Girl (2025)' marks Shih-Ching Tsou's solo feature directorial debut after co-directing 'Take Out (2004)' with Sean Baker and producing several of the latter's other films. This slice-of-life drama feels incredibly personal, incorporating elements of its director's life to add texture and tangibility to the already incredibly palpable world it creates. With its handheld shooting style and focus on intimate everyday occurrences, the flick almost feels like a documentary at times. Splitting its focus between the child's-eye view of its youngest character and the more hardened perspectives of the older two members of its central trifecta, the narrative feels at once vaguely aimless and somehow wholly focused on immersing us in the lives of its characters. It's a naturalistic experience that's subtly moving - and, even, heartwarming - despite its generally harsher atmosphere, contextualising its story within a society that minimises women at every turn without becoming wholly about this aspect. Although the story feels as though it tries to cram in a little too much during its finale, dropping some pretty big bombs without sticking around to examine their aftermath enough to make them feel truly impactful. Still, even as its pacing ebbs and flows and it usually refuses to bend to genre convention (to both detriment and benefit), it's a compelling and honest feature that keeps you engaged for its duration. You're never quite sure where it's going to go, but it's one of those movies that's definitely about the journey rather than the destination so it ultimately doesn't really matter exactly where it ends up. It's an entertainingly down-to-earth effort.